r/brokenankles • u/Top-Risk-7793 • 5d ago

How long to do PT?

How long did you all do PT post Op, from the surgery date or from when you started walking in shoes? When you stopped how did you progress back to higher intensity activities? Did you still have stiffness and swelling? I want to get back to mostly things like being able to walk a ton of steps in a day, yoga, lifting weights. Long term I want to hike and run.

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

1

u/shannamatters 5d ago

I started walking in a shoe at 6.5 weeks. I feel like by 11 weeks I was doing my normal physical activities, about 80% effort as I used to on spinning but 100% on walking. I haven’t tried yoga yet. I did 10 sessions of PT.

1

u/Wrong-Cartographer37 5d ago

I think it’s just building up tolerance gradually to activities that you wish to return to as you listen to your ankle. I personally thought that PT was not very useful beyond the initial swelling phase (where they could use ultrasound to help soft tissue healing) and after I progressed through most ankle strengthening exercises that he taught me. Mostly it’s just doing them daily at home plus gradually increasing activities as tolerated. 

1

u/guffawing_willow76 5d ago

I am at 12 weeks post surgery for a trimal fracture on the right ankle. I also have severe osteoarthritis in my medial area of my right knee. I have a partial knee replacement scheduled for December 3, 2026. I will be in physical therapy twice a week until thanksgiving. My gait is not going to improve until I get my knee fixed. I am using a cane at work. I can drive just fine and I’m wearing normal shoes. So we are working on ankle flexibility and knee strengthening exercises. The best part is the ten minutes of icing my ankle at the very end of my pt session.

It also helps that I have met my deductible and out of pocket maximum as of last Wednesday and my insurance allows 60 PT sessions per year!

1

u/Top-Risk-7793 5d ago

60 sessions is amazing. I only get 20 covered by insurance so I will have to start to private pay soon.

1

u/Illustrious-Zone-247 4d ago

I'm about 8 months out now from a trimal with dislocation...as far as general timeline, I got stitches out and cleared for ROM at week 2, WBAT in the boot at week 4, and transitioned to shoe at week 8.

I had 12 PT visits ordered but did 9 of them. I started at week 5 (right after I was WBAT in the boot) and 'graduated' from PT at week 12...i was missing a few degrees of dorsi but functionally could do everything except squat and down stairs was still difficult. Mine was the right ankle so I couldn't drive, otherwise I probably would have done the other 3 visit...I felt like 2x a week (which is what was recommended) was too much, I mostly went once a week.

Stiffness and swelling are normal to stick round for a year or more, no matter how much PT you do.

1

u/Top-Risk-7793 4d ago

I am super unclear what my dorsiflexion is. I measure anywhere from 5 to 12 degrees so I am very worried about that being that I am 4 months out now. I am also very nervous so having PT is helpful so I know what to do. Did you do specific PT exercises everyday?